Spoiler Alert: Gandolfini's true achievement

1:56 AM,
Jun. 28, 2013

FILE - This undated publicity photo released by HBO, shows actor James Gandolfini in his role as Tony Soprano, head of the New Jersey crime family portrayed in HBO's 'The Sopranos.' Funeral services for actor James Gandolfini are scheduled for Thursday, June 27, 2013, at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York City. Gandolfini died June 19, 2013 in Italy. He was 51. (AP Photo/HBO, Barry Wetcher, File)

Written by

Todd Hill
CentralOhio.com

The smarmy essays of appreciation media outlets feel compelled to publish within hours of a celebrity's death can't help but simplify the life of the dearly departed.

In the case of James Gandolfini, the "Sopranos" star who died of a heart attack in Italy last week at the age of 51, they didn't come close.

Gandolfini, the son of a custodian and a school lunch worker, was a limited actor. Most actors have no choice but to play to their strengths to sustain a career, and Gandolfini, not just on television but in a variety of supporting film roles, almost always played the heavy. ...